HARRISBURG, Pa. — Active railways are littered throughout south-central Pennsylvania, making the likelihood of an accident almost inevitable.
To stay proactive, Norfolk Southern Railway is traveling the east coast to educate first responders on proper response strategies using its own safety train.
“We take them out of the classroom and put them on the train itself,” said Connor Spielmaker, the communications manager with Norfolk Southern Railway.
The three-day training event is part of the company’s Awareness and Response program. Several response teams from across the Commonwealth met at Norfolk Southern Railway where they began the event with an hour-long safety lesson.
First responders were later given hands-on training on the commercial locomotive designed to carry hazardous material. Responders were split into three groups, with each group touring a different part of the train.
Norfolk staff estimate more than 200 first responders will participate in the event.
“Every fire department has access to a training facility to do an automobile fire, a house fire, a structure fire, not a lot of them have access to a train to do things that involve the railroad,” Spielmaker said.
If railways follow standard safety protocols, the chance of a railway accident is low. However, after the Ohio train derailment in February in which hazardous materials were released into the environment, railway safety concerns have increased. Spielmaker noted how leaks are common and rarely lead to a major accident.
“A lot of the hazardous material incidents you might come across are actually just a leak, a small leak of a valve.”
If a railway accident were to occur, it’s important for first responders to assess the situation calmly and determine an effective plan.
“This is a real good way to get into the weeds with Norfolk Southern and actually train operators to work on their communications and what their safety protocols are to help us understand what they expect from us,” said John Willburn, a firefighter for Harrisburg Bureau of Fire.
Spielmaker says the training event also helps to strengthen the trust between first responders and their communities.
“It is important that the community knows that their fire departments are out here, continuing training, learning new things, and able to help them out if ever there was a situation involving the railroad.
The safety train will depart from Harrisburg on Saturday. Its next safety training event is scheduled for August 8 in Toledo, Ohio. The train will return to Pennsylvania in October but will not revisit Norfolk Railway in Harrisburg.